Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Surace's "Last Hurrah"

Monday – July 11: Mayor Joe Surace calls it his “last hurrah” as Wellsville's top administrator. That “last hurrah” is a community wide clean-up effort that Surace challenged everyone in the Village to get involved with a couple of weeks ago. This past Monday the Mayor held an organizational meeting for the scheduled clean up days which will be this coming Friday & Saturday, July 15 & 16.

The Mayor noted that there really isn't any equipment owned by the Village to do the cleaning-up mechanically. With no summer help from the County this year to supplement the number of workers the Village is strapped keeping up with the grass mowing and the pot holes repairs. There are only three Street Department workers and one Cemetery Caretaker. One of the Street crew is usually kept busy keeping our cruisers on the road and the mowers going. Monday he was trying to get the Village owned back hoe back up and running. Meanwhile the weeds, dirt and debris keep piling up.

That's where the Mayor's challenge comes in. It was decided the grass and weeds growing on the sidewalks and along the curbs is probably the most unsightly right now. The Mayor calls it the Help Us – Help You Clean-up.

The Mayor issued his challenge to all clubs, organizations, churches and residents to get involved to help the Village help you in cleaning up the place. The Mayor said if each resident cleans up the side walk and sweeps it in a pile into the street they will take care of the rest.

The answer to the challenge was very encouraging. The members of the First Christian Church already contributed a couple of weeks ago and sent word that they would be back. Wellsville's Nazarene Church promised their help. The Lion's Club and the Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce was represented and promised their help. The Wellsville Volunteer Fire Department was there saying that the whole department will be out Saturday. Members of the Labor Union 809 pledged their support. The Wellsville Board of Education was represented with word the Touch Down Club, Football and Basketball Team members will be assisting. Ron Dailey, owner of Dailey Refuse, will donate a roll-off dumpster for the volunteers to use and will haul off what is collected. Sells Auction owner Bob Sell offered any help he could render.

The clean-up will start at 8 AM both Friday & Saturday. If anyone or any group is not already pre-assigned they are asked to report in at the rear of Village Hall. Village Administrator Jim Saracco and Village Zoning Administrator Rick Williams are the event co-ordinators. If there are any questions or other information needed you can call 330-532-2524 – Extension 10 during regular business hours. Quitting time will be 4 PM on both days.

On Saturday there will be a Family Fun Night in co-ordination with the Clean-up. It will include music by the band Abbey Road, the Beatle imitators, hots dogs, chips, refreshments and gifts for the kids. It is sponsored by the Family & Community Resource Center. The band starts at 5 PM with dinner to be ready at 6 PM in the High School parking lot. The Family & Community Resource Center will be handing out free discount cards and bracelets for the kids. With grants from AEP & Walmart they have also started a Summer Lunch Program at the Jim Kenney Center every Tuesday & Wednesday. For more information about the Center check their web site at www.fcrconline.org or call 330-420-0044.

Credit needs to be given where credit is due the first christian church to it upon themselves to spruce up the town a few weeks ago. If I read the paper correctly that is where Mayor Surace got the idea.However the next Mayor and council need to get new people involved such as the Ruritans, Lions, Elks and other organizations to help w/ clean-up on a weekly or monthly basis.First the voters and taxpayers need to do a little "house cleaning" inside Village Hall and take our village back this November -JRM

Just wonder how many of you critics are taking a moment to clean up in front of your own homes/businesses? Easy to criticize when you're not in the hot seat.This has nothing to do with the upcoming election. It's called having pride in your community, no matter WHO is in village hall seats or how good/bad they are.

It is a good thing that so many groups & people are jumping in to help. As for the future of the village, the residents will decide if intact a good ole boys club will be elected. And the next few in might do us a favor & remember their job is to make well thought out decisions for the village with the resources they have. Among other things

Maybe if they made and enforced some codes and ordinances in this village people would not have to have huge clean up days. The village could actually be clean all the time. not just before the reunion or the Italian festival.

Actually, the Lions Club has been taking care of the Wells Ave. area for years. They mow the grass, weed whack, and clean up litter usually once a week April/May - September/October. They never ask to be recognized or thanked for it, but they still do it every year.

To enforce the ordinances you have to have an administrator in place to do so. As long as the current one is in place, nothing will get done. Council can do nothing without a responsible Mayor and admin. Most all of the Village codes are controlled by the admin.

I live on Broadway. I didn't see one single person out either day cleaning my section of the street. I saw where someone was cleaing form 3rd to 4th on Broadway, but that is it. Then you have the people on Broad way that take care of the abandoned house. They have been mowing the yard for I think 3 years now, the mayor doesn't enforce the ordinace with the banks. The people on the sides of the house are trying to keep their property clean but now they have to do the house next to them too. Shouldn't something be done about this type of things in this town?

The time has come to clean up council! Four seats are up for election. Three are filled right now. Vote those three out. We have four new candidates running for council. Cast votes for them.Hold council accountable for their actions or lack of. Voice opinions at the regular council meetings. We're getting a new mayor which will be a huge improvement. The mayor spent too much time in Fla and not enough time working to improve the village. Let's work together to change the "good ole boy" mentality.

Former Village Administrator, Thom Edgell and former councilman Don Brown, use to go to Lisbon, researching property owners and sending letters out warning them about unsightly properties. If the owner did not abide by the law, they were sent to Magistrate's Court and fined. Nowadays, too many homes are vacant because of foreclosures. However, these properties are the responsibility of the banks that own them. I know these two gentlemen would have been on these banks to do something with these properties!

You got to wonder how much Mr. Brown helped the new administrator after Edgell was gone????? Rumor is he didn't like the new mayor and wouldn't lift a finger to help even though he was still a councilman.

maybe the good people from the catholic church in wellsville will generate their talents in helping clean the town up instead of causing confusion in god's house. use your energy in a more positive way.